Author's Notes: Thank you so much for reviewing and i am glad that you like this story so far. School for me will be starting soon so please don't get too used to me updating like mad every day. im sorry to say that you only have few more weeks of that. Please keep you're patience factor in check. lol. enjoy!
Hermione made her way down the halls of Hogwarts. She stared at her feet the whole way and when she reached her destination she didn't even understand how she got there. The Headmaster called down all the Prefects to his office and she had to admit that, although Dumbledore and her were friends, she was a bit nervous. She didn't think that she had done anything wrong.
Unless... could the Headmaster know that had happened between her and Malfoy? No...she had successfully avoided Malfoy for a month now. She made it all the way through the month of January without being so much as in range of his nasty comments.
She reached the stone gargoyle that led to his office. Before she could even realize that she didn't know the password it sprung to life and allowed her passage to his office. When she reached it she saw all of the prefects up there in the room with Dumbledore. Including Ron, and the last person she wanted to see...Malfoy.
"Come in miss. Granger. Come in." Dumbledore said with a smile.
Hermione made her way across the room and stood next to Ron who, to her relief, was standing the farthest away from Malfoy.
"Now I know that you are all probably wondering why I called you all down here." Dumbledore began. He looked at them all over his half moon glasses. Hermione hated when he did this. It always made her feel like he was reading her mind.
"As you all know the Valentines Day dance is this weekend. Now I know that there is some interhouse rivalry going on but I wanted this dance to be a symbol of peace. I would like you all to start off that dance by dancing with other prefects...but I don't want them to be from your own houses. For instance," he said boring his eyes into Ron's " Perhaps...Gryfindore Prefects should begin the dance with Slytherine Prefects."
Ron's eyes got, if possible, angrier as he looked away from Dumbledore and stared at Pansy Parkinson in disgust.
He looked back at Dumbledore and said without thinking "You have got to be kidding me!"
Hermione shot a look at Ron before he realized what he had just said. His ears went a little pink and he mumbled "Sorry Professor."
Dumbledore nodded and told them that they were dismissed. Hermione walked down the halls with her head lower than it was before. 'So much for your good efforts, Hermione' She thought to herself as she made her way back to the common room with Ron.
She walked glumly over to the couch and sat next to Harry who looked at them in confusion.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"You know that Valentines Day dance this weekend? Well, Dumbledore wants Peace so he is making me dance with PANSY PARKENSON!" Ron said with disgust.
"You should be thankful that you don't have to dance with Malfoy, Ron."
"Wait, Hold on. You're telling me that you have to dance with Pansy...and you have to dance with Malfoy all because you're prefects and Dumbledore wants peace in the school?" Asked Harry to both Ron and Hermione.
"Yeah." Said Ron
Harry burst out laughing and holding his sides.
"It's NOT funny! Your not going to have to listen to some prat call you a mudblood all night!" Said Hermione hotly.
"I'm sorry. It's just such a waist of time and I really think that Dumbledore might be a little too hopeful this time. I mean, the only way Slytherine and Gryfindore are going to be friends is if everyone in the world dies at he same time...in other words...NEVER!" Said Harry still chuckling a little.
Hermione rolled her eyes. She should have known that Harry would laugh. But she knew that he cared and that if Malfoy did try something he would be at her side in a second, Ron too. Although she had to admit that watching Ron rant about dancing with Pansy was a little hilarious.
"Absolutely disgusting! Why would he do that? He knows I hate her!" yelled Ron to practically the whole common room.
"That's why he wants you to dance with her. To set an example." Said Hermione.
"I'm surprised that your not upset that you have to dance with Malfoy." Said Ron
"I am upset. Trust me, he is the last person that I want to open the dance with but I do understand Dumbledore reasoning. Besides, just because I'm upset about doesn't mean that I am going to announce it to the Whole common room AND the Headmaster." Said Hermione as she picked up a book from the table in front of her and began reading.
"You complained to the Headmaster?" Harry asked Ron.
Ron's ears went a deep shade of scarlet.
"Well, you would do the same too, admit it." He said.
"You have a point I guess. I would die." Said Harry.
Hermione Sat in the common room most of the night without moving. She couldn't even read. She had to go patrol the corridors in a few minutes. Harry and Ron went to bed a while ago and all she could do was stare at the fire. She looked at her watch and sighed. She was supposed to leave five minutes ago. She stood up from her chair. She closed her eyes and moved toward the portrait hole. ' Just one tiny step at a time.' She told herself.
She reached the outside and opened her eyes. 'See this isn't so hard.' She told herself. She walked down the corridors. She made her way down the library corridor and then down the corridors that led to the Ravenclaw portrait hole. She knew she was trying to avoid the astronomy tower afraid that she would see Malfoy again.
She made her way back down the torch lit hall to the library when she heard a noise in the corner. She stopped dead in her tracks and listened hard for any sort of other noise that could tell her what was going on. She heard the noise again. It sounded like a shuffling of feet. Someone was out of bed after hours.
She moved to the corner and stared at the dark outline of the person. She knew who it was automatically.
"Don't you have somewhere else to patrol? Honestly, this game you're playing with yourself is getting old, Malfoy."
"You always were a good lookout weren't you?" He asked still not coming out from the shadows.
"No, you just suck at hiding." She said taking a step back trying to make as much space between her and him as she could.
He stepped out from his hiding place and looked at her through his gray eyes as if he were staring into her soul. He saw some of her curls fall into her face and he saw that her cheeks were a little flushed. For an embarrassed Gryfindore she really was brave to face him.
"You seem to be working hard to avoid me, Granger." He said knowing full well that he was stating the obvious. "You won't even comment when I make fun of you're good for nothing friends."
"I just got tired of hearing the same things over and over again that I stopped wasting my breath on you." She said still backing up until she hit the wall on the other side of the corridor. She couldn't go anywhere and he was still coming closer to her.
He got so close that she could smell his cologne. She closed her eyes trying to think of something else other than the fact that he was playing with the hair that was in front of her ear. Her heart began to race and she tried to control her breathing. She felt him lean up to her ear and whisper, "You can't run forever, Granger. You have to get this close at the dance anyway. You might as well get used to it." Hermione's breath caught in her throat.
He leaned back and Hermione opened her eyes and watched him turn and leave. She let out a long sigh and ran back to the common room dreading the fact that Malfoy had once again get to her. 'Damn! He knows how to get on a girls nerves.' She thought before she fell asleep.